Harry Potter and the Lethifold Armchair Sequel
by Aurora Snidget
Summary: In Harrys fifth year a Lethifold is set loose, Sirius is attacked and hurt badly, the stand in potions teacher is part merperson and Draco Malfoy appears to have aquired a strange tattoo.. but that is only the beginning - please read and review.
1. Transference

--Welcome to my fan-fic. This fan-fic is a continuation of my completed fan-fic titled 'Harry Potter: Escape from Voldemort', which took place between Harrys 4th and 5th year at Hogwarts. I recommend you read it first. This new fan-fic covers Harrys 5th year, and will hopefully be quite exciting and dangerous for Harry. Please review and tell me what you think, but be nice - it's not like you had to pay to read this story! Thanks : ) --  
  
--- Chapter One: Transference ---  
  
A cold wind whipped through the trees as Harry stood paralysed with shock in the forest. Standing just meters in front of him was Lord Voldemort. Lord Voldemort, however, was not looking in Harrys direction. "You must succeed", hissed Voldemort in his high cold voice, "If you bring the boy here, you will be greatly rewarded". The cloaked and hooded man being spoken to by Voldemort nodded once, then whispered, "I will succeed master, I never fail", and with that he disappeared into the depths of the forest. Harry watched Voldemort turn and walk into a cave entrance and breathed a sigh of relief.. he hadn't been seen. Perhaps it was all a dream. He pinched himself.  
  
Harry felt the sun warming his face and opened his eyes. It took a few seconds for him to remember he had been in the Leaky Cauldron all along - a small wizarding pub in London. Harry had spent the last week at the Weasleys after an unexpected vacation in New Zealand. "Awake are you?" said a tinny voice beside Harry, causing him to sit up quickly and look around. "Who said that?" Harry demanded, swinging his feet over the edge of his bed, glancing around again and then peering under his bed. "I'm right here," said a small copper alarm clock on Harrys bedside table. It had a big face with long sliver hands showing that it had just turned 8am. "I was just going to wake you," spoke the alarm clock again. Harrys mouth dropped open. He had seen many strange things in the last few years, but a talking alarm clock was something he had never seen, there certainly hadn't been one here last time he had stayed, or sitting on his bedside table last night. "Right", said Harry after a pause, temporarily at a loss for an appropriate reply. "In case you were wondering, Mr Weasley gave me this VERY important assignment last night. Do you want to know what it was? Do you? I can tell you in less than 5 seconds", said the alarm clock in its tinny voice. "Er.. What was it?" asked Harry, standing up and stretching. "He told me I had to wake you at 8am exactly so you won't miss the Hogwarts Express", said the alarm clock in a very important voice. Harry smiled and laughed, "Well, I guess that's quite an important assignment". After getting changed into Dudleys passed-down jeans and a t-shirt, Harry brushed his hair ignoring the mirror which told him he was far too skinny, had more freckles than last year and had hair that would never sit tidy - "Just give up on your hair, dear".  
  
Harry went down to breakfast, passing Tom the landlord on the way down the stairs. "Everyone else is up, sonny", Tom said to him winking. Harry entered the smokey pub and sat down at the table between Hermione and Ginny. "Morning", he said to them all in general. Hermione was engrossed in Advanced Transfigurelational Methods by Yerlier Mumph, and didn't reply immediately, but Fred, George, Ron and Mr and Mrs Weasley said "Morning", back and Ginny went scarlet and mumbled a good morning. "Cool alarm clock", Harry said to Mr Weasley, who was reading 'The Daily Prophet' at the table. "Er? Oh yes, that - you can keep it if you want", he said, "It might come in useful this year". "Hey thanks", said Harry quickly. After a breakfast of muslie and toast with pumpkin jam, all while staring around the packed pub observing the other patrons who were hags, goblins and wizarding families - possibly of Hogwarts students, although Harry didn't recognise any of them, Harry, Hermione, Fred, George, Ron and Ginny headed upstairs to get their stuff. "How are we getting there?" Harry asked Mr Weasley once he had finished lugging his trunk, Hedwig and Firebolt into the pub downstairs. "Since the Ministry won't provide the cars, Dumbledore has hired some cars in London, and is getting some of his trusted friends to drive us to the station", Mr Weasley explained, and then, "We don't want a repeat kidnapping, that's happened twice too much lately".  
  
Just then there was a couple of loud toots from outside. "They're here", exclaimed Mrs Weasley while trying to brush some dirt off Rons jacket. Harry grabbed his stuff and lugged it outside, following Ron, who was trying to escape his fussing mother. There were 3 Morris Minors waiting for them outside all bright green, with darkened windows. "Bit small aren't they?" complained George. "Not at all", replied Mr Weasley, and then when nobody moved, "Well get in", he indicated, opening the door of the middle one, "I want you all sitting in this one, Molly and I will sit in the front one". Ron raised his eyebrows at Harry, who looked back quizzically. "Who's in the back one?" asked Fred piling in after George. "I'm not at a liberty to tell you that", said Mr Weasley frowning. Harry got in after Ron and noticed, but wasn't surprised to see that the inside of the Morris Minor was very large indeed. Harry stood up inside it and walked down a couple of steps and over to Ron who was lugging his luggage into a corner. "I would be guessing these cars have been um.. - modified then, eh Harry?", said George, looking over at Harry and grinning. "I'd say so", replied Harry grinning back. "Cool!", said Ginny when she got in. The inside of the car was furnished in a similar style to that of the Gryffindor common room, and had large comfortable seats in it, and a fireplace, with a fire burning at one end. "I wonder where the chimney comes out?", speculated Hermione. Ron rolled his eyes at Harry who actually thought that that was a rather good question. They all settled themselves down in seats, and began a game of exploding snap, to pass the time. However, it seemed like no time at all had passed before the door of the Morris Minor had opened again, and Mr Weasley was telling them all to get out. They all piled out of the car lugging their trunks and assortments, and Harry wasn't the only one who turned around on the pavement to try and see if anyone was going to get out of the last Morris Minor. Their curiosity didn't go unnoticed though, and Mrs Weasley shooed them all into Kings Cross. "Get a move on, you don't want to be locked out", she said.  
  
Harry grabbed a trolley from a nearby cluster of them, and walked beside Ron and Ginny to Platform 9 and Three Quarters. When they arrived at the barrier, Harry could see off the clock on the wall that they still had ten minutes, until the train left. Harry and Ron walked through the barrier first, and Harry at once could see that there where many new faces.  
  
He stared around him, Ron seemed to be doing the same. A group of students walked by them both, they seemed to be Harry and Rons age. "Why are there so many new students, and not just younger ones?", asked Ron surprised. "No idea", replied Harry. Just then Fred and George walked through the barrier. "Who are all these people?", asked Fred immediately. "Whoa.. hey there lady", said George grabbing the arm of a good looking red head passing by. "Vots wrong? Zar you lost?", she inquired of George frowning. "Oh no!", George said laughing, "I just want to know where you are from, and why there are so many older students starting this year?". "Ve all come from Durmstrang", she explained, face lightening considerably. "It vost closed last year, when zay couldn't replace zer headmaster Karkaroff". "Ahh..", said George enlightened slightly, and then when he still hadn't let go of her arm after a few seconds.. "Ist you vanting something else?", she inquired again, looking at her arm. "He vants your blood, Muhahahaha!", said Fred in a falsely high evil voice. Harry just about choked at that and Ron grinned. George looked slightly put out. "Actually I was wondering if you would sit in the train with me?", he asked, going slightly pink around the ears. Fred rolled his eyes, but George seemed to be ignoring Fred for once, instead he was watching the girls face intently as she considered this. "All right, I vill sit vith you in the train", she said after a moment, "I vill just go and collect my bags". Just then Harry spotted Hermione heaving her trunk up into one of the front compartments of the train. "That must be the prefects compartment", he said to Ron pointing. "See you two later then", called Fred to Harry and Ron. Fred followed along behind George, who was walking with the red headed witch down the platform.  
  
"Fred doesn't look very happy about 'Georgie girl' does he?", sniggered Ron quietly to Harry. "Not really", replied Harry. Just as Harry and Ron had wheeled their luggage up to the compartment, Hermione appeared at the door. She looked rather flushed, and not at all happy. "You won't believe who else is in there", she said rather heatedly. "Who?", said both Harry and Ron at the same time. "Draco Malfoy", spat Hermione, looking disgusted. "Draco? What's he doing there?", said Ron. "Draco got made a prefect?", asked Harry shocked. "I'm afraid so", said Hermione, "and now we have to share the prefects carriage with him, and the other 5th year Slytherin prefect". "It's not Crabb or Goyle is it?", said Ron uncertainly. Harry wouldn't have been surprised if it was. "No, I don't actually know him, but I know all the other prefects", replied Hermione. 


	2. Bad Omens

--Ok, thought I'd better mention, the standard disclaimer applies - I don't own any of the characters/things you recognise, J.K. Rowling does. Everything else belongs to me. Also.. one last warning.. if you haven't read the prequel you should do so now, otherwise, soon you are going to be very *very* confused! LOL. ...Enjoy--  
  
--- Chapter 2: Bad Omens ---  
  
Ron and Harry heaved their luggage into the carriage and slid the door to the compartment open. The prefects compartment was a much more spacious compartment than the ones they had sat in for the previous 4 years at Hogwarts, and was decorated in the colours of the four houses. Draco looked round when they came in and stood up in a menacing way. "Well, Grangers returned with her little friends.. only prefects are allowed in this carriage", he said scrowling at Ron and Harry. "That would be the three of us then", said Harry dragging his trunk inside. "You mean.. we have to sit by muggle lovers for the whole journey? -Crap", said the Slytherin boy whom they didn't know. Harry looked at this boy with interest, he had remembered seeing him around the school over the previous four years, but had never had to have anything to do with him. Any classes they had shared, this boy had kept a relatively low profile in. Harry thought that this boy must perhaps come from a family as wealthy as the Malfoys, judging by his clean new robes and the generally groomed look about him. He had a turned up nose, and a look of extreme dislike on his face as he surveyed Harry and co. His light brown fringe came down just above his eyebrows and he had a blond streak dyed in his hair. Harry wondered how best to ask this boy his name, without getting made fun of by Malfoy for not knowing. "By the way muggle lover - I'm Tertius Nott the Third", the boy drawled.. as badly, if not worse than Dracos patented way of talking. Harry noted, however, the boy made no motion to extend his hand for a shake. Well, Harry thought, I certainly wouldn't have shaken it, this was certainly the son of the Death Eater Nott, whom had been in Little Hangleton cemetery with the other Death Eaters. "Not the third?!", sniggered Ron, "What are you, the second?" "For your information I am the third person in my line to be called Tertius, and with my family being much better than yours, we have numbers after our names to show that". Ron rolled his eyes upwards while Harry tried to keep his face straight.  
  
Hermione pushed past Harry and Ron just then and sat down primly in the space between the two Ravenclaw prefects Lisa Turpin and Susan Bones. Harry took his luggage to the seat at the furthest edge of the carriage from Draco and Tertius and heaved it up onto the rack, and then sat down beside Justin Finch-Fletchly, the only Hufflepuff prefect. Ron shuffled with his luggage over to Harrys end of the carriage too, avoiding Dracos outstretched leg as he passed him and then Ron plonked himself down opposite Harry, and started looking through the pockets of his jacket. "Oh darn.. I must have left it on the table back at the Burrow", Ron said irritably. "Live in a wheelbarrow, Weasley?", mocked Draco who hadn't heard the name of Rons house before, "I'm not surprised!", he said passing a look to Tertius and rolling his eyes. Ron went red and looked like he was going to explode, but Hermione mouthed at him across the carriage to ignore Draco and shut up, and so Ron closed his mouth. "Um.. left what?", asked Harry who was still wondering what Ron was looking for. "My wand. I was going to levitate my luggage onto the rack, it's too heavy to lift", explained Ron. Draco smirked at Ron and said, "Been taking memory classes from Neville, Weasley?". Ron continued to ignore him, but then Hermione spoke up, "Why don't you do it, Harry, this would be a good opportunity for you to try out your new wand." "You mean you actually managed to find a new wand then Potter?", asked Draco eyeing Harry as he took his wand out of his pocket, "I'm surprised Ollivander didn't tell you to go home". "And how would you know about Harry needing a new wand, Draco?", asked Ron scrowling across at Draco, "It's not like he's told anyone you know, unless of course your father told you!". Draco looked a bit stunned for a minute, caught in his own trap, and then recovered enough to say, "Very good Weasley, my father does work for the ministry, and has a better position than your muggle-loving father, so of course he would have heard". "Actually Draco, he wouldn't have", said Harry quietly, "No-one in the ministry knows about my new wand except for Mr Weasley". Harry saw that Ron had a look of extreme disgust on his face, obviously he couldn't believe his bad luck that they would be stuck here for the next 6 or so hours with the two Slytherins. Harry felt the same way, there was no chance they would be able to relax with Draco and Tertius around, they couldn't even talk normally, for fear of what they might accidentally say. Especially now that there was the possibility that Draco had been made a Death Eater himself over the holidays. Harry realised he was still holding his wand, which was tingling in his hand, expecting to be used. His old wand never tingled, and he wondered if anyone had noticed although, probably not, since everyone was so angry with each other. He pointed his wand at Rons luggage, and said "WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA!" which was the charm to make the luggage levitate, so that he could direct it up onto the rack. When he moved his wand up to direct the luggage onto the rack however, the luggage responded with much more force than he expected, and it shot upwards like a bullet. There was a loud bang as it went straight though the ceiling of the carriage, and continued skywards out of sight. "What the hell did you do that to my luggage for, Harry?", said Ron standing up, temper finally breaking. Harry stood there stunned, staring up at the sky through the hole in the ceiling of the carriage. He noticed that the whole carriage had gone suddenly very quiet. Everyone else was either looking at the hole in the ceiling too, or gaping at him, probably expecting an explanation as to why he had chucked his best friends luggage away. "Um.. I didn't mean to", Harry said rather lamely, it was all he could think to say, he was still a bit shocked by what he had just done. "You didn't mean to do that then?", asked Ron almost relieved, staring at him. "You're wand must be really powerful", said Hermione taking out her wand. "More likely it's cos he's only a halfblood", said Draco gleefully looking between Harry and the hole, "..lost control." "Watch your mouth Draco", said Hermione, pointing her wand at him. Harry could see Draco wasn't going to say anymore this time, perhaps he was remembering for once that time she had punched him. Hermione then pointed her wand upwards directed at the hole in the ceiling, "ACCIO TRUNK!" she yelled. "My trunk has probably already smashed onto the ground and broken into a million bits", said Ron gloomily. They waited for about 5 minutes, until finally they saw the (still intact) luggage whooshing past the window in the slipstream of the moving train. A few seconds later it entered though the hole in the ceiling and Hermione directed it onto the rack above Rons seat. "Hey thanks Hermione", said Ron gratefully. Harry sat back down on his seat, still rather embarrassed, while Hermione did the repario charm on the ceiling of the carriage.  
  
They all sat in silence for sometime, even Susan and Lisa who usually were quite chatty didn't say anything. A cloud of depression had settled down over Harry and he sat absorbed in his thoughts as the train whisked them northwards. The plump lady with the food trolley turned up at lunch time, and Harry bought a large amount of food that he was going to share with Ron. Then Hermione gave him a look that clearly said that Ron would rather eat soggy sandwiches than accept food from Harry in front of Draco and Tertius. Harry therefore stashed most of his sweets into his jacket pockets to share with Ron up at the school some other time. Ron looked at Harry gratefully, when he saw that Harry wasn't going to embarrass him like that.  
  
Everyone in the carriage ate his or her lunch in the continued silence, a silence which stretched out long after lunch had finished. It was a bit of a shock therefore, when several hours after lunch Ron finally spoke sharply. "Hey! There's an owl outside the window". Harry looked up and saw a large brown owl flying level with the window, it looked like one of the regular school owls. Harry stood up with Ron and they both heaved the window open and let it fly in. It settled down on Rons seat, so Ron took it upon himself to remove the letter from its outstretched leg. "It's addressed to all of us", exclaimed Ron ripping it open. The others looked up in interest. Ron read it aloud:  
  
"Hogwarts Fifth Year Prefects,  
  
Please note that your first duty as prefects is to patrol the train between 4pm and arrival, keeping all junior students under control. If you need assistance, please ask the 6th and 7th year prefects in the carriages beside yours for help. You are expected to stay behind on the train after arrival and assist with taking the luggage up to the dormitories."  
  
"That's servant stuff", interrupted Draco angrily, "They can't make us do that, that's what Filch is for". "It looks like you don't have any choice if you want to stay a prefect", replied Hermione scowling across at him. "We'll miss the feast", said Tertius, "I've been looking forward to that all day". Harry had to agree with Tertius on that one, although fortunately he had been properly fed this summer, and could afford to miss a meal this year. "Well I haven't finished with the letter yet, if you want to hear what else we have to do?", snapped Ron glancing at Draco and Tertius who were both looking annoyed.  
  
"Please meet Professor McGonagall on the platform to be given further instructions and to receive your prefect badges".  
  
Professor Albus Dumbledore"  
  
"Well it's nearly 4pm now", said Hermione looking down at her watch, "Who wants to g-"  
  
"We will", said Draco interrupting her and grabbing Tertius' arm and pulling him up, "It's not like sitting with any of you is exactly thrilling".  
  
"Same with you, Draco", said Lisa Turpin crisply, "You are hardly a good male specimen!".  
  
"What's that meant to mean then?", said Draco swaggering up to where she was sitting with Hermione and Susan.  
  
"It means exactly what you think it means, Draco, now please leave so we can talk to the good specimens", said Hermione smiling sweetly.  
  
"I'm a better wizard than even you Granger, and you know it", he said loudly before pushing Tertius out the door ahead of him and then slamming it shut behind him. Fortunately, the glass didn't break.  
  
"Thank god they're gone", said Lisa raising her hands in relief.  
  
"Do you really think we are good specimens then?", asked Ron who was grinning from ear to ear.  
  
Harry adopted a puzzled but interested look and waited for a response from either Lisa or Hermione.  
  
"Well the three of you are a million times better than Draco any-day", said Lisa looking Ron in the eye, and then glancing sideways at Justin and Harry, who felt himself blushing.  
  
Harry tipped his sweets out of his jacket just then, and shared them out amongst everyone in the carriage. Lisa, Susan and Justin, who had never sat in the Carriage with Harry, Ron and Hermione, couldn't stop thanking Harry for the sweets and cauldron cakes. None of them had felt the need to buy a great deal of food at lunch, and were now feeling quite hungry.  
  
"I sure hope we don't miss the meal", moaned Ron when it was nearly time to arrive and they had started putting on their robes. "We won't!", said Hermione irritably, "If Professor McGonagall shows the fifth years how the luggage is taken up every year, then we definitely won't, she is always back at the castle before the first years are off the boat". "It may not be her usual job, Hermione", said Lisa tensely, "She might miss the feast this year to do it and I want to see my sister Sarah get sorted". "Well what other teacher would normally do it?", asked Hermione, "All the teachers are always at the feast, and if it's Filch that usually does it, then where is he?".  
  
Before anyone had time to think of an answer for this, the train slid to a stop outside Hogsmeade, and they could hear Professor Flitwicks squeaky voice calling the first years to come and stand over by him. "I see Hagrids still not back from that mission Dumbledore sent him on", observed Harry gloomily as they stepped out into the chilly wind on the platform at Hogsmeade which was however, still bathed in the last rays of the late afternoons sunlight. "Over here prefects", said Professor McGonagall who was standing over beside the engine. As Harry walked across the platform to meet her he overheard a small group of older Durmstrang students indignantly commenting in their direction as he passed - "Ve should have been made prefects, Ve vas prefects at Durmstrang, ist unvair". Harry felt sorry for them, but there was nothing he could do, so he ignored him and continued over to McGonagall. Professor McGonagall smiled thinly at Harry when he reached her and took two shiny silver badges out of a velvet pouch. "Here's your Prefects badge and your Quidditch captain badge, Harry", she said handing them to him. "Thank you", said Harry examining them. The prefects badge was crest shaped and just said 'Prefect', while the Quidditch captain badge was round and had folded wings engraved on the side just like a real snitch when it's wings are folded up. It had 'Gryffindor Quidditch Captain' engraved on it. He then pinned them both onto his robes beside each other and then stood and watched as Ron was given his badge. Ron beamed as he pinned his badge on and they both stood around and watched as Professor McGonagall handed badges to all the other prefects as they arrived. Harry noticed that Draco hadn't been made Quidditch captain; although whether there had been a vacancy or not he didn't know. Draco hadn't noticed Harrys Quidditch Captain badge yet. 


	3. A Job and a Half

--- Chapter 3: A Job and a Half ---  
  
"Right, follow me then", Professor McGonagall instructed, and led the way into the first carriage. When they were all in the hallway of it she turned around to face them and they waited expectantly for their instructions. "You are to stay inside the train until the rest of the school is off the platform, but there is an exit half-way down the train on the right hand side. You can step out of the right side of the train, as the rest of the school can not observe you there", with that she paused for a breath.. "Excuse me, but why isn't the rest of the school allowed to see us?", asked Harry inquisitively. "I will explain that to you all later, at the moment just please do what I say", McGonagall said, particularly looking in Dracos direction. "Now, Malfoy and Nott, you are to do the two end carriages, remove all luggage, and load it onto the floating trailer outside the right exit I just told you about. Weasley and Granger, you take the next two carriages, then Potter and Finch-Fletchly for the next two, then Bones and Turpin for the two carriages after that. The 6th and 7th year prefects handle the rest of the carriages. I want to see that all the carriages are clean once you have finish-", Professor McGonagall instructed. "But Professor", interrupted Draco, "Isn't this the type of work that Filch should be doing? By the time we have finished we will have missed the sorting ceremony".  
  
"Cleaning the Hogwarts express isn't Filch's job Mr Malfoy, he is only contracted to do work within the school, and if we want to continue to use the train for many years to come, it has to be kept in order," said Professor McGonagall, looking sternly at Draco over her glasses. "Now off you go, I have things to do before you have finished", she said, waving her arm in the direction pointing down to the end of the train".  
  
"Yeah.. to go and stuff herself full at the feast, probably", hissed Ron into Harrys ear as they set off towards the end of the train. When they reached the carriages near the end of the train, Ron and Hermione carried on and Harry and Justin entered the first of the two carriages they had to clean. The first thing Harry noted was that there where lolly wrappers all around the seats, not all that different from how they had left the carriages all throughout their junior years. Justin walked past Harry and got out his wand. "I think perhaps I should levitate the luggage in here out onto the platform", suggested Justin, "Judging by what you did before, you might need some time to get used to that wand". Harry nodded his head in acknowledgement, Justin had just put into words what he had been thinking next. "I'll clean up the sweet wrappers then", Harry said, hoping this would even begin to make up for not helping with the luggage. "Fine", said Justin levitating the first trunk off the shelf and out the door. As soon as Justin had left the compartment, Harry got out his wand and pointed it at a sweet wrapper, he was going to try this again, rather than just picking them up. He felt it was probably best not to have anyone watching. "WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA!" he said, not saying it with as much force as he would normally have done with his old wand, then he moved his wand up very slowly. The wrapper responded instantaneously to the slight movement, and shot upwards with a similar force (although slightly weaker) to that with which the trunk had responded earlier. There was a loud 'Ping' as it shot through the ceiling and metal roof of the train. Harry sighed and wondered if he dared do the repario charm on the ceiling of the train. Worth a try he thought, he would have to do magic with his wand sometime this year, and he could always get Justin to repair the damage when he returned for the next trunk. He pointed his wand at the ceiling rather hesitantly and then said the words, "Repario Ceiling!". He blinked. There was not even a pause and the ceiling was instantly repaired, not even that, but the whole ceiling looked like it had been repainted. Harry gaped up at the ceiling. It had repaired faster than he had ever seen even Hermiones repair charms do. Usually, you had time to watch whatever was being repaired come together.. he would have expected to see the fibres of the ceiling stretch and knit together, but it had happened too quickly. Just then Justin came back inside for the next trunk. "You haven't done much", observed Justin looking around at the piles of still untouched wrappers, what's been happening? "I tried to summon one of the wrappers and it um.. reacted again", explained Harry feeling rather depressed. "My repario charm on the ceiling worked alright though". "Oh", said Justin, "Well that's one good thing", he said sounding to Harry like he was trying, but not succeeding in offering encouragement. Justin then levitated the next truck out of the carriage ahead of him while Harry began to pick the wrappers up off the floor and seats. The wrappers where cleaned up reasonably quickly, Harry had had plenty of practice cleaning at the Dursleys after all. So he moved out of that carriage and into the next one along and repeated the process and then sat down to wait for Justin. After a long period of time Justin finally got to the second compartment and had removed the second last piece of luggage. "We have definitely missed the sorting ceremony by now", Justin said, his great disappointment showing, "They are sure to be at least halfway thought the feast by now". He then left and Harry sat and awaited his last return. Harry was just beginning to think that he should perhaps struggle with the last (rather heavy looking) trunk out of the compartment without magic when he thought he heard Justin on his way back. It was not Justin however who was the next person to enter the compartment.  
  
It was Professor McGonagall. "I would have expected better from you, Mr Potter", she said sternly, looking down at him sitting there. Harry peered up at her anxiously, waiting for what was coming. "Everyone else is helping to take the luggage out, and I arrive back from the feast to find you in here sitting - not even raising a finger to help." With his and Justins suspicions finally confirmed, Harry in a moment of rage felt that this might be a good time to tell her what was wrong (and hopefully make her feel guilty about not letting them all go to the feast), so he explained the truth of the matter, "I wasn't able to help with the luggage, because I haven't been able to learn to control my new wand properly yet, and I was worried there would be an accident," he tried to keep the anger out of his voice. "You haven't been able to control it?", she said clearly outraged, "where did you buy it?". "Just from Ollivanders." Harry replied, then added, "He said my wand was quite powerful and I would have to be cautious; whatever that meant". "I see", said Professor McGonagall, looking rather concerned, "Well come outside now, we will be heading up to the castle soon. I'll see what I can do for you later when we have some time". Harry followed her outside into the dark night, passing Justin on the way who grinned apologetically and was holding his stomach - obviously in hunger. Harry sat himself down beside McGonagall on the edge of the floating trailer and waited for the others to finish levitating the luggage onto it. They were finished about 2 minutes later, and all the prefects sat down alongside Harry and McGonagall and the trailer began to move away from the train, up towards the castle of its own accord. Harry noted the trailer wasn't being pulled by anything, similar to those horseless carriages they usually sat in. The trailer stopped outside a side door to the castle and Professor McGonagall hopped off and unlocked the door with a key and instructed them to get ready to bring the luggage in one trunk at a time. Harry followed her inside this room in the castle, noting that it was a room he had never been in before. In each of the three corners was a large and very long mat - each one decorated with the animal of a different house and having numbers down the edge. McGonagall took a list out of her robe as a 6th year came inside with the first Trunk, and he read the name off the side of the trunk, "Pincipi Litmus". McGonagall scanned the list and said, "Hufflepuff, dormitory 4", and with that the sixth year directed the trunk onto the Hufflepuff mat and lined it up with the letter '4' on the mat. Next came Tertius with a green trunk, who had been watching with the other 5th years what the sixth year had done with interest. "Name?", prompted Professor McGonagall. Tertius bent over the trunk and read off the name scrawled on the side, "Mortimer Snivel". "Slytherin, dormitory 3 over there", Professor McGonagall said pointing to the place on the Slytherin mat.  
  
Professor McGonagall told Harry to go outside and help keep everyone in an orderly line to the door of the room, and check that each person had picked up every bit of luggage belonging to a single student. It proved to be quite a task climbing over the mountains of luggage, checking. Then he had to stop the arguments erupting among the prefects who were pushing and shoving to get to the door first so they could just get the job over with quickly. Harry thought the sixth and seventh years where taking it much better than the fifth years, who where all very grumpy by now. Harry had seen Draco direct his trunk so that it swiped Justin out of the way, and Justin had lost his temper and given Draco a black eye.  
  
After about an hour, they were finally finished sorting out the luggage into houses and dormitories, and Harry was just beginning to wonder whether they were going to be taking the luggage up or if it would go up magically, and importantly, what they would be having for dinner, when his question was answered in an unexpected way. "Right, is everyone inside?", asked Professor McGonagall sharply. Everyone was, it was quite a cold dark night, and everyone had drifted inside as they finished bringing the luggage in. "Alright, Mr Potter, please close and lock the door", she instructed handing him the key. Harry walked over to the large wooden door and swung it shut and then put the metal bar across it, and inserted the key and turned it. He then waited to hand the key back to Professor McGonagall who had gone over to a large grandfather clock leaning against the wall and was opening the glass front on it. She then turned around to face them and glanced around at them all. "Quiet down everyone, sixth and seventh years please be patient while I explain the procedure to the fifth year prefects who are not familiar with it yet", Professor McGonagall said sharply to the older students who were whispering together excitably. The whispering ceased, and Professor McGonagall proceeded to tell them. "I assume you are all familiar with the concept of time-travel?", she asked looking at them. Everyone nodded, most people Harry noticed looked rather nervous at this, Harry realised that they must be going to go back in time to get to the feast, and suddenly understood why none of the sixth and seventh years had been concerned during this evenings duties. "This whole room is used for time-travel, it has a charm enclosing everything in it, so there is no need for the use of timeturners which some of you are familiar with", she said eyeing Hermione in particular. Hermione nodded excitedly. Although, no doubt thought Harry, this new way of time-travel was news to her too. "We will be going back in time to just before the train arrives, and you will mix in amongst the students on the platform and head up to the school in the prefects carriages just after our past selves have entered the train as we did this evening. If all goes well none of the other students will notice. You are not under any circumstances to try and contact your past selves, as you would be putting yourself in grave mortal danger to do so. I will remind you of some other rules of time-travel, although, I don't think any of it will apply unless I am very much mistaken", she said looking sternly at Draco and Tertius. "Some general rules are, if you go back in time and for instance, kill someone, and that someone in your future had made an impression, such as saving someones life who could hypothetically have changed someone elses life in someway that caused a chain of events in the future, then it is likely that the universe could cease to exist. So I must ask you whenever you go back in time, never do anything that you know will change something that you know definitely could not be at all possible in your future. Some people may only be alive today because of that rule, which if it wasn't a fundamental rule of time travel that must be obeyed, certain people could have gone back in time to a vulnerable time in their lives and killed them", Professor McGonagall explained. Harry noticed that she was not looking at anyone in particular when she said this and a few people where glancing over at him. He felt his stomach squirm uncomfortably and stared at the floor as he realised that other people where thinking how he was lucky to be safe from Voldemort in that respect. Professor McGonagall turned around and reached inside the opened up inside of the grandfather clock and began winding it back. "It is now 10 minutes to 6", she announced closing the glass case. "There are 3 carriages outside that will take you down to behind Hogsmeades station, when I give the signal after I have seen our past selves enter the train, you will merge in with the others", she said, then checked her watch, "It was 15 to nine when we left. After the feast tonight you are required to meet me in the entrance Hall at 8.30pm, so we can come back here". "Unlock the door now please Mr Potter", she asked looking in Harrys direction. Harry walked over to the door and removed the metal bar and put the key in and turned it. The door swung open, and the last of the late afternoon sunlight streamed inside. Harry heard a sudden intake of breath from some of the fifth years behind him. It took a few seconds for his eyes to get accustomed to the light and when he turned around outside and looked back in at the time-travel room he saw Professor McGonagall standing there chanting what looked like an incantation and waving her wand. Suddenly all the luggage and mats that the luggage had been sitting on disappeared from sight with a flash, and she clapped her hands together, obviously pleased and came outside closing the door behind her. Harry handed her back the key, and then went and climbed into one of the horseless carriages with the other fifth years, it immediately began to move. It should have been a squash with the 8 of them in there, but it wasn't too bad with four of them sitting elbow to elbow with each other on each side. They sat in silence for a while, but Harry could see the looks of relief on everyones faces that they would indeed be feasting in the great hall. Lisa looked very happy, Harry had seen her take her sisters luggage into the room. Harry guessed that Lisas sister Sarah must have been sorted into Ravenclaw as well. As they neared Hogmeades station, Draco leaned forward to glare at Harry, and spoke. "How sad that You-know-who won't be able to go back in time to kill you Potter.. now he will just have to kill you this year - although, that shouldn't be too hard", sneered Draco, which was a mistake. Everyone in the carriage except Tertius immediately whipped their wands out and pointed it at Dracos' head. "Say that again, Malfoy, and you get it", snarled Ron, looking very angry. Draco put his hands up, "Alright, alright, no need to over-react", he said clearly worried. "Haven't got many guts now have you Draco, especially as it turns out your wee friend Tertius isn't standing up for you..", said Susan as she looked sideways at Tertius who was edging away along the seat. "Apologise to Harry, Draco", commanded Ron, who was now holding his wand to Dracos throat. Just then however, the horseless carriage slid to a stop outside the back of Hogsmeade station and Professor McGonagall opened the door. Ron quickly put his wand away, and made to look like he was just standing up to get out first. Luckily, Professor McGonagall didn't seem to notice and they all quickly followed Ron out of the carriage. "Hurry up, we have to be quick, the train is just arriving", she said as they heard a loud toot. A large billow of steam rose above the station as they hurried indoors through the back entrance, and Professor McGonagall pulled back a blind slightly that was facing into the platform and watched as all the students began to disembark onto the platform. The station room they were standing in was shabby and had a ticket counter at one end and 5 wooden tables and several chairs on a dusty wooden floor beside a cafeteria at the other. Harry noticed that Draco was looking over at him strangely, and irritably he wondered what it was this time. He then noticed that Draco didn't have his eyes on Harrys face, it was at the extra badge on his chest Draco was looking at. Draco must have realised what it was because just then, he glanced up at Harry forming a face of pure hatred. Harry smiled back triumphantly.  
  
After about 5 minutes had passed, Professor McGonagall informed them that their past selves had just entered the train, and they were now to step outside and merge into the crowd discreetly. Harry, Ron and Hermione left the interior of the train station and stepped outside onto the cold windy platform. They picked their way across the platform, through crowds of excited students, and past the cluster of senior Durmstrang students that Harry had heard complaining earlier. Professor Flitwick was still calling out in his squeaky voice for the first years to join him. When Harry passed Flitwick, he saw that he was standing on a empty wooden crate of butterbeer (which didn't improve his height much), and some very nervous looking first years had managed to find him through the crowd, despite him still not being higher than anybodys heads. They passed George who was still with the pretty Durmstrang girl. Fred was standing nearby, and was the only one who noticed them approaching. He looked decidedly bored and stopped the three of them as they passed. "Hey! I was wondering when you would get those", Fred said pointing to Rons badge. "Pity you got given them so late, George and I won't have an easy time stealing them now", Fred said looking rather sad. "Cheer up Fred", Hermione said concerned, she'll probably be sorted into another house and George will forget about her." "Hey did anyone see which hou-", said Ron. Hermione nudged Ron and Harry stood on his foot, which shut Ron up quick, Fred wasn't meant to know about the time travel. The three of them passed a look between them, and then Harry asked Fred who was now looking quizzically at them, "So what's this girls name?" "Perigrene Jarvey", he said scrowling over at her. Hermione looked at Harry and shrugged to indicate that she hadn't been in the time-room when Perigrenes luggage was sorted, Harry did the same back and Ron followed suit. "Well lets hope she's in Slytherin then", said Ron trying to sound hopeful for Freds sake, "He'd never sink to the level of a Slyth girl". "Yeah, but she's not exactly a troll", said Fred, glancing over to where Millicent Bulstrode stood with Pansy Parkinson.  
  
"Will you sit in the horseless carriage with us Fred?", asked Hermione nicely. "Yeah, might as well", sighed Fred. Harry, Ron, Fred and Hermione wandered over to where the horseless carriages where waiting at the end of the platform and found an empty one near the front. They climbed into the carriage and sat down, Harry and Ron on one side, Hermione and Fred on the other. It pulled away from the platform slowly and made itself up the road and through the big gates of the school to the front door. With a jolt it stopped directly in front of the steps to the door and the four of them clambered out and walked up the steps. 


	4. A Few Surprises

--Thanks for all the reviews for this so far - it's really appreciated : ) I just wish I knew how to do italics on fanfiction.com.. it doesn't appear to be working, and I did try to fix the formating for this chapter.. but it has come out totally wrong. : ( --  
  
-- Chapter Four: A Few Surprises --  
  
They followed a crowd of students into the brightly lit entrance hall, and Harry spotted Headless Nick looking down at them from one of the staircases above. Headless Nick was wearing a polkadot ruff around his neck and waved at him enthusiastically, so Harry waved back.  
  
"I've been given the job of keeping Peeves out of the entrance Hall", he shouted down at Harry.  
  
Harry nodded and then turned and caught up with Ron, Hermione and Fred who were just then entering the great Hall.  
  
It was even more brightly lit than the entrance hall, made all the more impressive by the floating candles positioned above every table. They walked up to their usual seats halfway up the Gryffindor table and sat down to wait patiently for the feast to begin.  
  
Harry noted that the house tables looked twice as long as they had last year, concluding that they must have been modified to cope with all the transferring students. Although, they would also have had to have modified the dimensions of the Hall. Harry noticed that Fred and Ron where also gazing at the house tables, but Hermione was looking up at the staff table.  
  
"Looks like we don't have to put up with Snape this year", said Hermione sounding pleased.  
  
"What?!", said Ron, whipping around and craning his neck to see the staff table.  
  
Harry also glanced up at the staff table, but his glance was suddenly held up there, as his heart almost stopped beating in shock.  
  
It wasn't the new potions teacher who held his gaze, it was the defence teacher sitting beside Professor Dumbledore.  
  
"What's he doing here?", asked Harry surprised.  
  
"Which one?", replied Hermione raising her eyebrows.  
  
"Artemis Cloric," said Harry indicating.  
  
"THAT'S Artemis Cloric?", asked Ron in surprise.  
  
"Why would he even think of accepting a job here, I mean, he had a great job in NZ as the defence teacher there, and it was a stones throw away from his house and family.. but here.. this is the other side of the world! He has a family to be with, and this is a boarding school, not a day school!", said Harry, expressing how clearly confused he felt.  
  
"Maybe he got sick of it. Didn't you mention he had worked there for 17 years or something?", asked Ron.  
  
"But if he has a family to support, he's not going to throw away his security", reasoned Hermione, "He must have a real reason to want to teach here, or he wouldn't have come".  
  
"Either that or Dumbledore is paying him heaps more!", said Ron.  
  
They sat in silence and pondered this for a moment. Mr Cloric certainly looked happy to be here. Harry could see him talking and laughing up at the staff table with the other professors.  
  
"I wonder which one is the potions professor?", asked Ron, staring up at the other two new teachers sitting at the table. One was a rather attractive female in perhaps her early thirties, and had blue hair that spread out in ringlets just below her shoulders. The other was a man who was in his mid 40's and had untidy sandy hair, and a monocle in one eye. He had a scowl on his face while his forehead seemed wrinkled up in disapproval as he surveyed the sea of young faces ahead of him.  
  
"Well he can't be worse than Snape", said Ron, drawing the same conclusion as both Harry and Hermione just had, about which was which.  
  
A few minutes later everyone had finished sitting down at their tables and the hall went slightly quieter as they waited for the side door to open with the new students to be sorted.  
  
Harry could see Ron squirming in his seat, obviously he was extremely hungry, having eaten only soggy sandwiches for lunch this year. Hermione elbowed Ron and whispered for him to sit still.  
  
"I'll have died of starvation by the time they get though the first years, let alone the transfers as well", moaned Ron unhappily.  
  
"It's not that bad", said Fred rolling his eyes, who was blissfully unaware of how long it had been since Rons last meal.  
  
Suddenly the side door to the hall was opened and Professor McGonagall marched in with an exceptionally large crowd of new students following along in her wake. They were in no particular order, but lined up hastily when they got to the staff table which looked kind of strange, since they were all of such differing heights. The line of them continued out through the side door, so that Harry could see that Ron wouldn't be getting his wish anytime soon. Harry saw that most of them where shaking with nerves as they watched Professor McGonagall pick up the Sorting Hat and put it onto a three legged stool.  
  
There was a moment of silence, and then a rip near the brim of the hat opened wide, and the hat began its song:  
  
Four founders of the school did make,  
  
A thousand years ago,  
  
A way of finding out how to tell,  
  
Whose house to put students in.  
  
Twas Gryffindor who took his hat,  
  
To fill it full of brains,  
  
From Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff,  
  
Slytherin and his own.  
  
They intrusted me to use those brains,  
  
To sort the students well,  
  
The virtues that they prized the most,  
  
Divide the students well.  
  
Rowena Ravenclaw,  
  
Prized intelligence the most,  
  
While Helga Hufflepuff prized loyalty.  
  
Salzer Slytherin decided ambition,  
  
Was by far the best to teach,  
  
While Godric Gryffindor chose bravery,  
  
As his pick above the rest.  
  
One thousand years,  
  
Have since gone by,  
  
And I still look inside your heads,  
  
To see which will suit you best.  
  
So try me on,  
  
And I will say,  
  
what house to which you belong,  
  
- Since I am never wrong!  
  
The Great Hall burst into applause as the Sorting Hat finished, and Professor McGonagall removed the same roll of parchment from her cloak that he had seen her use to sort the luggage earlier.  
  
"When I call out your name, you will put on the Hat and sit on the stool," she told the new students. "When the Hat announces your house, you will go and sit at the appropriate table."  
  
With that she unrolled the scroll and read out the first name.  
  
"Jarvey, Perigrene"  
  
Fred, Ron, Hermione and Harry glared at the girl as she stepped out of the line and walked past the others and sat down on the stool. She didn't look at all worried as Professor McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat on her head.  
  
"Please Slytherin, please Slytherin", whispered Fred in a loud hiss, that didn't fail to carry across half the hall. Some people on the Slytherin table turned around to look at him and whispered to the people sitting beside them with their hands over their mouths.  
  
"Gryffindor!"  
  
The four of them let out a collective groan, as Perigrene removed the Hat from her fiery head and proceeded towards their table quickly, making straight for where George was sitting further down with Lee Jordan. Fred looked downcast, Harry couldn't even begin to imagine how it must feel to be pushed away so easily by your own twin brother. Ron patted Fred on the back,  
  
"Don't worry, we'll think of something", he said reassuringly, which didn't have the desired effect. Fred pulled away,  
  
"I don't need your sympathy Ron", he growled scrowling down at his gold plate before him.  
  
"Snivel, Mortimer"  
  
"Slytherin!"  
  
"Biggerwort, Petri"  
  
"Slytherin!"  
  
"Lunitovi, Avison"  
  
"Slytherin!"  
  
"At the rate this is going, Slytherins are going to outnumber us ten to one!", said Seamus Finnigan, looking at the Slytherin table cheering as they welcomed their third new member.  
  
"The Durmstrang students aren't all going to be Slytherins, I mean look at Perigrene, she got put in our house", said Hermione crossly.  
  
"I don't want to look at Perigrene, thank you", said Fred.  
  
"Durvatoff, Mahoney"  
  
A bulky looking and at least 4th year Durmstrang boy strode up and placed the hat on his head, almost immediately,  
  
"Gryffindor!"  
  
"There you are, I told you we will get some more Durmstrang students", exclaimed Hermione as their table clapped for the new boy.  
  
"Litmus, Pincipi"  
  
"Hufflepuff", whispered Harry to Ron grinning.  
  
"Hufflepuff!"  
  
"Hey! How did you do that?", said Fred looking stunned, "You didn't learn to read minds over summer did you?".  
  
"Er, no, it was just a lucky guess", said Harry quickly.  
  
They all turned their attentions back when their table broke into applause again, and watched the line shrink, although, it still went out the door.  
  
"Tara Silverstone"  
  
"Gryffindor!  
  
"Wique, Anison"  
  
"Ravenclaw!"  
  
"Austin, Demi"  
  
"Hufflepuff!"  
  
The Hufflepuff table broke into enthusiastic applause as Demi made her way over. She was obviously a first year and her cloak trailed behind her as it was far too big.  
  
"Cloric, Trinity"  
  
"Hey!", said Harry, feeling quite surprised.. he hadn't expected this either. He looked expectantly down the line looking for her to step out, but she was obviously standing further down the line through the doorway. It took a minute for her to appear through it and she walked up, strawberry blond hair billowing out behind her.  
  
"Is that..?!", started Hermione looking quizzically between her and Harry.  
  
"Whoa!", said Ron, "Tell me she's in fifth year!".  
  
Harry nodded and looked at Ron with amusement. Ron had the same expression on his face that he had had last year whenever he looked at Fleur. Ron must have felt Harrys gaze, because he took his eyes off Trinity, and after a moment asked hesitantly, "She's not part Veela is she?".  
  
"Nope, she's a direct descendent of Clariol Cloric", answered Harry, and when this didn't ring a bell with Ron, "You know.. the man we did our History of Magic assignment on in the holidays we have only just had?!".  
  
"Ohhhhh!", said Ron, then after a pause -  
  
"So she's quite smart then?", he said frowning at the Ravenclaw table.  
  
"Gryffindor!",  
  
Shouted the Sorting Hat.  
  
"Not particularly", said Harry grinning at Ron, and then making eye contact with Trinity who was already heading very fast towards them beaming.  
  
"Hello Harry! Is there enough room to sit beside you if that's OK?", asked Trinity, glancing down the table past where most of the boys where still clapping enthusiastically to finally where Lavender and Parvati were trying to get her attention to sit by them.  
  
"Yes, sit by us!", said Ron quickly moving aside, "We really want to talk to you, and you will be sick to death of Lavender and Parvati really fast if you sit by them".  
  
Ron had gone slightly red, but he wasn't tongue tied as he had been around Fleur.. Trinitys complete lack of Veela power was definitely helping him with his new crush. At least, that's what Harry thought, as he grinned between both his friends.  
  
"Why will I be sick to death of them?", asked Trinity curiously, "Have I got all my classes with them or something?".  
  
"Nope.. all they ever talk about is divination this and divination that.. they never stop. Like anyone would even believe in all that crap", said Ron with feeling.  
  
Trinity looked a bit taken back, and Harry thought he better try to pull Ron out of the serious blunder he had just made.  
  
"He only thinks that because of Professor Trelawney being a fraud", he explained to Trinity, and when Ron looked up at Harry, with a look on his face like Harry had gone crazy, Harry continued. "Ron, Trinity really is a true seer, I would have died over the summer if she hadn't had been able to use her gift to find me. Then she showed me something in the crystal ball later and I'd never seen anything in the crystal ball until she helped me".  
  
"What was it?", asked Hermione.  
  
"I'll tell you later", replied Harry.  
  
"I'm sorry", said Ron to Trinity, "It's just that I've never met a true seer before".  
  
"That's ok", said Trinity, "Now let's be quiet, cos I want to see where my brother is put, and they still haven't called him".  
  
"Neo's here too?", asked Harry.  
  
"Yep, and so is -".  
  
"Columbo, Michael"  
  
The line was much shorter now and the end had emerged from the doorway and crept up to three quarters across the hall while they had been talking. A scruffy brown hair and eyed boy stepped out of the line and shuffled his way up to the stool. He plucked the hat up off the seat and examined it before sitting down on his seat and putting it on his head.  
  
"From what I've heard about the houses, he'll be a Ravenclaw for sure", said Trinity, "Mike's a genius".  
  
"Why did he decide to transfer? Wasn't he at Salem in the states with your brother Luis who has finished now?", asked Harry.  
  
"He was doing 6th year there yes. But when he heard Neo and I was transferring he got the idea in his head that he wanted to transfer too.. so he had a word with dad, and dad wrote him a letter of recommendation. Of course he had never been taught by dad, going to a different school and all that, but dad wrote that Mike had stayed over summer and was a well behaved kid and all that. He has to redo 5th and 6th year though, but he doesn't mind, Mikes just glad to have been accepted into such a fantastic school".  
  
"Why does he have to repeat two years?", asked Harry mystified, "You just said he was a genius". Harry glanced up at Mike still sitting on the stool. He appeared to be quite relaxed, and looked like he was having a conversation with the hat, something Harry had never seen before. Interrogating it probably. Dumbledore had a look of amusement on his face. All the other students in the line where getting impatient for the hat to decide. "Well you see", Trinity started in reply to Harrys question, "the American system of assessment is different from ours. They take "STAR's" in 5th year and onwards, which don't really have any meaning over here. So Mikes going to take OWL's this year. Then he might be able to skip 6th year and take his NEWT's if the teachers think he's ready." "What about Neo? He doesn't have to repeat 5th year does he?", asked Ron. "Yeah, he does. Dads tried to convince Dumbledore to let him into 6th year, I mean, his marks were perfect.. but the exams in other countries just don't mean all that much over here. I feel so lucky that I hadn't finished 5th year before I transferred here."  
"How far though 5th year where you?", asked Hermione. "It's halfway through the year in New Zealand right now... so really, it's given me an extra half year to study for my OWL's which is good", said Trinity smiling. "Oh", said Hermione looking slightly upset. "Gryffindor!", shouted the Sorting Hat. The whole hall broke into applause, as Mike finally removed the Hat from his head and started down towards their table. "You couldn't have taken longer", said Trinity as he approached. "That's one interesting Hat, that is", said Mike in reply sitting down beside Hermione. "He's seen inside the brains of every famous U.K. wizard in the past 1000 years.. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to ask him a few things". "More than a few things if you ask me", moaned Ron massaging his stomach.."You took longer than anyone else". Mike looked over at Ron with amusement. Everyone else turned their attention back to the last of the students being currently sorted.  
  
"Taylor, Emily-Jane" "Gryffindor!" "Wishstone, Gabrielle" "Gryffindor!" "Runesier, Ryan" "Slytherin!" "Longlock, Rapunzel" "Hufflepuff!" "Jupiti, Amber" "Gryffindor!" "Jelical, Katherine" "Hufflepuff!" "Chartier, James "Gryffindor!" "Almagi, Mickael" "Hufflepuff" "Zorander, Zeddeous" "Gryffindor!"  
  
And then..  
  
"Cloric, Neolyte"  
  
"Ravenclaw!"  
  
"Uhh", said Trinity disappointed, as her brother made his way over to the Ravenclaw table, new Hogwarts cloak swishing behind him.  
  
"You'll probably be in some classes with him", said Ron cheerfully.. "We'll get our timetables tomorrow".  
  
"Oh, we get some classes with other houses then?", said Trinity lightening up, "That's good, cos I'd be lonely without him I guess. It was hard enough leaving Saul and the others, without losing Neo once I get here."  
  
"You can see him whenever you want outside of classes", reassured Harry.  
  
"Ya'll see me all the time too", said Mike, "It's not so hard, I miss my parents and dog, but I write them loads.. gives them a nice fright everytime a owl swoops in the window. "Ah.. that'll be a letter from Michael", my dad says pretending he didn't get a fright. Well at least my mum says that's what he does".  
  
Just then, the whole hall went quiet, and they all turned around to see that the sorting ceremony had finished. Dumbledore was standing up and beamed around at them and opened his arms in welcome.  
  
Mike was examining his plate, and held it up to his face and examined his reflection.. "Is this real gol-", his whisper was cut off midway.  
  
"I've just one word to say to you", Dumbledore said, his deep voice echoing around the hall. "Enjoy!"  
  
All the plates before them filled up magically and Ron didn't even pause to say 'Finally!' before the first forkful of meat was shoved in his mouth.  
  
"Ewww!", said Mike as the plate he was holding up filled and all the food slid off onto his lap.  
  
All the people sitting around him on the table chuckled, Mike looked upset but then burst out laughing and brushed it all off onto the floor.  
  
"Least there's plenty, I'm almost as hungry as Ron", he exclaimed taking a serving spoon and spooning some roast potatoes from a dish onto his plate.  
  
"Hey Harry!", said Mike looking over at him, "What type of magic is this? I haven't seen this before".  
  
Harry realised he had never really thought about how it was done before. It was a good question that Mike had just posed him. All he really knew was that there where identical tables below them, and the house elves put the food on them, and it somehow got transferred up..  
  
"Must be a swapping charm, there are identical tables to these in the kitchens", concluded Harry.  
  
"Really? Wow.. I have to see that!", answered Mike enthusiastically.  
  
"You can come down to the kitchens with me next time I go to visit the house elves", said Hermione leaning towards Mike, her eyes gleaming in the flickering candlelight.  
  
Harry quickly adverted his eyes to his plate and held his breath. He heard Ron groan loudly and make a noise that distinctly sounded like a bulimic on a bad day.  
  
This must have tipped Mike off, because Harry noticed a very pregnant pause before Mike spoke next.  
  
"Why do you need to visit the House-Elves?", he said all at once. No beating about the bush for Mike then, Harry thought. Ron groaned again. Harry looked up to see Hermione smiling. Harry waited.. there would soon be an explanation, and possibly a new member of S.P.E.W. before the meal was over.  
  
Hermione explained to Mike about how the school used House-Elves without paying any of them except Dobby whom her society had already been successful in liberating.  
  
Ron snorted at that. Harry kept his eyes on his food. Mike however looked mildly interested. But still warily he prodded her for more information. Finally he had found out how they hadn't wanted to be freed, then the answer to Rons noises earlier; Hermione pulled out a badge and pinned it on him.  
  
"You can be our new member, you can pay for the badge later, it's 2 sickles", Hermione instructed.  
  
"Two sickles?", moaned Mike, "I'm not make of money!".  
  
"It's for a good cause", was Hermiones answer.  
  
Mike looked at his badge. A faint smile turned up the edges of his lips. "S.P.E.W.?", he said, looking at Hermione, enlightened as he looked over at Ron who pretended to stick his fingers down his throat again.  
  
"It stands for 'Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare'", explained Hermione.  
  
"Excuse me, but if you don't mind me saying so, perhaps at our next meeting we should brainstorm a name which sounds better as an acronym?"  
  
Harry noticed that Hermione looked rather taken aback by what Mike had just said. Maybe because it was that he wasn't laughing at the name like they had. Mike was actually suggesting a solution. Although, it could have been because he was being so willing to be part of the club, or perhaps, because he was suggesting a 'meeting', something that Hermione had never been able to formally organise, previously simply accosting them in the common room. But Harry reasoned, it was probably all of the above. Hermione for once in her life was completely overwhelmed. After a moment she beamed at Mike. Mike returned the smile and turned back to his meal.  
  
Hermione, encouraged by her success, then proceeded to hand badges over to Trinity and then got her to pass one down to one of the new Gryffindors, Amber Jupiti who was sitting close by and had been listening with interest.  
  
They continued eating their meals, taking their pick from large dishes of nicely done carrots, peas, cauliflower, yams, new potatoes, roast potatoes, beef, lamb, chicken, duck, Yorkshire pudding, well.. you name it.. it was on the table. Even odd things like beef jerky. There was also chilli soup. Mike seemed to be draining the chilli soup all by himself.  
  
Finally, most people had had their fill of the main meal. Harry sat back in his seat awaiting the appearance of dessert. Nobody would ever be able to tell him that he hadn't been fed well at school. Dudley would have killed to have been here tonight, especially with his diet in progress. Harry wondered if Dudley had lost yet more weight since he had last talked to him, or whether Aunt Petunia had finally relented to his constant whining.  
  
Dessert finally appeared in the form of wobbles of colourful Jellies, mountains of cake and cascades of ice-cream. There was also Ambrosia, Treacle tart, Spotted dick, Chocolate gateau, bowls of Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans and a dish appearing in front of Trinitys place, Pavlova.  
  
Harry helped himself to the Pavlova and Ambrosia, having not much room left for anything else. He noticed that Ron however, managed to fit something of everything on his plate, and still had room for seconds afterwards.  
  
Finally the meal was over, and all the plates magically cleaned themselves, left completely spotless in appearance.  
  
Dumbledore rose from his seat at the great table and the whole hall suddenly went as quiet as a grave. Heads turned to look at him beaming around at them.  
  
"I have just a few start of term notices to give out before I allow you to proceed off to bed. Mr Filch, the caretaker, has asked me to tell you that the list of forbidden objects has this year been forbidden to include, self turning jump-ropes, non removable magical inks and stinging Buzzy- Bees. The full list comprises some four hundred and forty items, and can be viewed in Mr Filch's office, if anybody would like to check it.  
  
The Forest in the grounds is out-of-bounds to all students, while the village of Hogsmeade to all below third year.  
  
Next, it is my great pleasure to introduce three new teachers this year. May I firstly introduce Professor Samphire Swirly as our new potions teacher."  
  
There was much cheering from all the tables except Slytherin, which looked on in dismay as Samphire Swirly stood and beamed around at them.  
  
Dumbledore continued, "However, Professor Swirly is only filling the potions position until Professor Snape is able to return to work later this year".  
  
There was a collective groan from everywhere again, except the Slytherins. Trinity and Mike looked quite frankly bewildered to see the reactions of the Gryffindor table to the news that Professor Snape was returning.  
  
"Just when I was thinking we where free of the old bat", groaned Ron, "I'm never going to pass my OWL's this year".  
  
Harry nodded, Professor Swirly better be good, if she let them get behind, they would all be failing.  
  
Professor Dumbledore put his hand up, indicating for silence. The groaning gradually ceased, and he continued.  
  
"Next I would like to introduce Professor Artemis Cloric who will be joining us permanently on our staff. Hopefully for many years to come," Dumbledores mouth twitched at the edges, and he continued, "Professor Cloric is our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, and has been teaching it in New Zealand for the past 17 years".  
  
Artemis Cloric stood up, and grinned from ear to ear as the whole hall erupted into applause. When he had seated himself again Dumbledore indicated to the last new member of staff.  
  
"Lastly I would like to introduce Professor Garuda Munkvold from Durmstrang, who will be teaching Care of Magical Creatures -"  
  
There was a loud cheer from the Slytherin table, Harry could just make out an ecstatic Draco lifting his goblet and making a toast with Tertius.  
  
Professor Munkvold stood up and smiled grimly down at them all. He leaned forward slightly, finger tips supporting his weight on the tabletop. His eyes were bulging and Harry wondered if he hadn't been recently strangled.  
  
"HOWEVER", said Dumbledore very loudly, obviously not pleased at being cut off. The Slytherin table went quiet.  
  
He continued, "Professor Munkvold is also only with us on a semi-permanent basis.. that is, until Rubeus Hagrid is able to return to us later this year".  
  
The Slytherins looked horrified by this news. Harry saw to his pleasure that Draco looked like he had just had the Quidditch cup taken off him, and given back to Gryffindor instead.  
  
A bit of hissing started coming from their table. Harry wasn't sure if this was meant to be intimidating or what, but Professor Dumbledores face darkened.  
  
"That's enough!", he boomed, glaring at the Slytherin table over his half moon glasses.  
  
"There is one last notice I would like to give you before you are excused. I am sure that you are all aware that Durmstrang was closed after their Headmaster Karkaroff left last year. Many of our new students sorted tonight are from Durmstrang. I will urge you to treat them with the same respect as everyone else, and accept them as one of ours as they now are. That is all. Prefects are to show new students to bed, classes begin tomorrow!"  
  
Harry rose from his seat with everyone else in the hall. When he looked at Hermione, she was still sitting though, and had a puzzled expression on her face.  
  
"What's the matter?", he asked.  
  
"Oh.. I was just thinking, I'm sure I've heard mention of Professor Munkvolds name before. I just can't place where", said Hermione frowning while slowly standing up.  
  
"You probably read it in some books somewhere Hermione", said Ron reassuringly.., "It will probably come to you in about ten minutes!".  
  
"Probably", replied Hermione.  
  
"Where's this fabled bed of mine then?", asked Mike looking at Harry.  
  
"Oh, I'll have to show you all up to the Gryffindor common room", said Harry.  
  
"We haven't been given the password yet!", hissed Hermione, who already had a small group of Gryffindors crowding around her.  
  
"The password is Chudley Cannons", said Ron with a shy grin.  
  
"What?!", said Hermione and Harry together.  
  
"Oh? Did I forget to tell you? Professor McGonagall asked me to choose the first password for this year while we were sorting the luggage before."  
  
"And how long do we have to put up with the pleasure of that password for?", asked Hermione crossly.  
  
"Just a week!", said Ron grinning.  
  
Harry soon found he had quite a large group of Gryffindors crowding around him waiting to be shown up. He made his way out into the Great Hall calling out "New Gryffindors can follow me!". Ron and Hermione were doing the same. It turned out that they really did get quite a large amount of students from Durmstrang after all, although, the Slytherins did win that particular competition hands down.  
  
Mike had joined Harrys group, and Harry looked with amusement at the food stains on Mikes trousers from the slight accident with the plate before. Mike saw Harry looking and went slightly red, and quickly buttoned up an old brownish coat he had on under his Hogwarts cloak. Perhaps he should have just left the coat undone though, since the coat looked about 60 years old, and like it had been run over by a bus several times, and never been washed.  
  
"That's better!", exclaimed Mike, oblivious to the stares he was getting from the other new Gryffindors. After a couple of minutes, Harry decided that he had waited long enough for any stragglers to join their group - no one else seemed to be coming. So Harry set off up the stair case with them all following behind. As they passed the first suit of armour at the top of the stair case, they all oh'd and ah'd, and Harry had to wait for a moment to let them admire it before continuing. Several staircases later they reached the right hallway to the tower and Harry quickly led the way down it stopping outside the Fat Lady portrait.  
  
"What have we here?", she said surveying them with raised eyebrows.  
  
"These are new Gryffindor first years", said Harry, wondering why she hadn't been expecting them.  
  
"More? I just let two lots in. Well I am pleased! The school is really growing in size. Mind you", she said now frowning, "I'm going to have my work cut out for me now!"  
  
Harry turned around and addressed his group.  
  
"The password you give to the Fat Lady to get into the tower is Chudley Cannons. It will change weekly, but may be changed more often if we need the security. You are not allowed to give your password to anyone not in Gryffindor. You will get points deducted from Gryffindor house if you are found sharing the password with other houses", said Harry loudly. He didn't like to threaten them like that about the points, but he knew better than anyone how dangerous it would be to let just anyone be able to walk in.  
  
With that, he said the password to the waiting Fat Lady who swung open obligingly, and they all stepped through the portrait hole after Harry.  
  
"This is the Gryffindor Common Room", he said, gesturing at the room they where now standing in. It was empty except for Parvati and Lavender who were lounging in front of the crackling fire in armchairs.  
  
"Your dormitories are up here", Harry said, pointing up the staircase, "Boys - Girls. Your luggage has already been brought up. You will get your timetables at breakfast tomorrow, so you should go to bed now so you don't sleep in!", said Harry with a grin.  
  
"Wow Harry, you sounded just like Percy!", exclaimed Ron appearing at the bottom of the staircase, after Harrys group had dispersed.  
  
"I sure hope not!", replied Harry.. "I didn't deduct any points, anyway".  
  
"I still can't believe how Percy could deduct points from our house!", said Ron, "It's almost like he didn't want us to win!".  
  
"Oh for goodness sake!", scrowled Hermione appearing in the doorway, "How do you propose we deal with disobedient students? Deducting points is an effective punishment".  
  
"You could just tell them off of course", suggested Ron.  
  
"But then you will get a reputation as been soft, and they will break the rules more often", replied Hermione, "Anyway.. are you going to just tell off the Slytherins? You have to be fair."  
  
"Making up for all the times Snape deducted points from us for no good reason is fair!", said Ron with a frown.  
  
Harry laughed at that, and Hermione, stifled a bit of a laugh too, while trying to control her serious expression.  
  
"Anyway", she said, "It's nearly 8.30, we have to meet McGonagall in the great Hall, remember?".  
  
"Yes, lets go now", said Harry glancing at his Precision Planetary Watch, which he could still only read the hour from, never having got up to the part on minutes or seconds.  
  
"Wow!", said Hermione, "Is that -"  
  
"Isn't he so lucky?", said Ron cutting in, "Sirius gave it to him for his birthday, it's the real thing. Dumbledores got one similar to it too."  
  
"I've read about those!", said Hermione, "They tell you all sorts of useful things, like if you walk into a frozen time field, or the year if you go back in time - it goes back too!".  
  
"Hey is your watch showing the right time then?", said Ron impressed by this information, "my ordinary watch is several hours ahead now".  
  
"It says it's 8 O'clock.. I can't read the minutes or seconds yet", confirmed Harry.  
  
Harry, Ron and Hermione walked out the portrait hole and down the stairs to the Great Hall. Most of the other prefects were already there, and they waited patiently for Professor McGonagall to turn up.  
  
She finally turned up and surveyed them all before determining that they were all present.  
  
"Right, everyone follow me", she instructed, leading them down one of the passages that led in the direction of the Slytherin common room. However, she led them on past there and many other dark dingy dungeons, and finally stopped outside a large old oak door.  
  
Professor McGonagall glanced up at the clock above the oak door. It said that the time was 16 to Nine.  
  
"Another minute and a half should do it", she said watching it.  
  
They all waited patiently for the time to tick by, and finally she withdrew a large brass key from her cloak and opened the door. Inside was the time room they had brought the luggage into before. The grandfather clock stood against one wall, its cabinet open. Professor McGonagall waited for them to all walk in and closed and locked the door behind them. Then she closed the cabinet of the clock and opened the door to the outside.  
  
A cold wind blew in through the door and stung Harrys face.  
  
"Right, everybody out the door and walk around the castle and in through the great doors and off to bed. That should do it!", she commanded indicating for them to step out into the cold dark night.  
  
Harry reluctantly followed the others outside and walked around the castle and back inside the great doors.  
  
When Harry finally entered their dormitory some 15 minutes later he noticed that he was now going to be sharing the room with Mike and another new fifth year boy as there where now two extra beds which the room had been expanded to accompany. 


	5. The Living Shroud

Hi Everyone!  
  
Thanks for all the reviews : )  
  
I've decided to continue this fanfiction on a website my friend has created for me. This is because the paragraphs and fancy formatting such as italics on fanfiction net isn't working correctly for my story and looks really bad. At this time I have up to Chapter 17 posted on my website, plus some artwork (which is really bad!) and some of my own Harry Potter jokes.  
  
You can find my site by clicking on my author name above (Aurora Snidget) - it's the geocities one titled Ballisticbludgers. Sorry I can't post the address right here, but there's some sort of filter that is stopping it show up.  
  
Enjoy, and please either review here, or leave a message in my guestbook on my site  
  
Thanks!  
  
-Aurora Snidget 


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